Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for Sunday, August 22nd, 2010: "Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda - Songs of Regret"

“Regret is insight that comes a day too late”
-Anon.

We had a wonderful, packed, ebullient crowd this past Sunday at The Salon, perfect for creatively commiserating among friends. The theme of the evening was "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda - Songs of Regret," and I must say there are a lot of mistakes, gaffes, missed opportunities, trip-ups, and just plain "oh darn it!" songs out there in the world. Some were touching, many were hilarious, but all celebrated the things in our lives we either directly learn from or just have to look back on and say "well, maybe next time..."



Our beautiful guest co-host of the evening was Danielle Grabianowski, who I had the pleasure of seeing winning the 2008 1930's Idol Competition. Since then, Danielle has come in 2nd in the Metrostar Talent Challenge, won the 2010 MAC Award for Female Debut (for her show Old, New, Borrowed and Blues), and was given The Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award of the Bistro Awards in 2010, given to "an outstanding performer on the rise." Danielle - with her unique voice and adorable (yet devilish) grace - was a perfect hostess, able to make fun of herself in a charmingly "regretful" way all through the evening.

Danielle started out the evening with "Love Me," a song she said connected to the theme of the evening in that "the characters are not using protection." She then turned it over to Keni Fine, who wrote a hilarious original for-the-evening's-theme spoken word piece "The Sunday Show," followed by original parody lyrics set to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon." Then multiple award-winner Gretchen Reinhagen sang the emotional Craig Carnelia ballad "Nothing Really Happened." Mark Levy then brought down the house early with his rendition of "The House of the Rising Sun" ("...a strong choice for a strong man in a pastel shirt," Danielle said). After Mark, Teresa Fischer was welcomed on the Salon stage as a new debut singer, who belted out the hilarious "shoulda" song "All the Good Men are Gay," written by Ron Abel and Bruce Newberg. We then had a 2nd Salon debut, Kit Benton, who sang "Paris in the Rain" with John Prestianni (who is also a composer) at the piano. Her show French Connection will debut at the West Bank with Prestianni as Music Director and Eric Michael Gillett as Director - November 7th.

After those two debuts, we had some regulars sing about their regrets. Sunny Leigh sang a rhumba version of Cy Coleman's "You Fascinate Me So" - she will sing at The Living Room in January of 2011. Marnie Klar performed "I'll Forget You" from the Wildhorn musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. Then 2010 MAC award-winning host and producer Dana Lorge (for the Wednesday Night at the Iguana series with Richard Skipper) sang "Is There a Straight Man in the House?" (a Kay Ballard song) and then probably sat in a corner to lament with Teresa Fischer afterward. Then singer Steve Sterner sang "The Last One" in a comedic Russian accent, a song originally cut from the musical Meester Amerika (music by Artie Bressler - who also played piano - lyrics by Michael Colby).

Next, Kevin McMullan sang the touching ballad "Till A Moment Ago" - his show Twist of Fate will perform October 13th and 23rd at the Laurie Beechman Theater with Mark Janas at the piano and Miles Phillips as MD - more info to come. After Kevin, Barbara Porteus sang "Losing My Mind." Barbara is currently working on a new show with Barry Levitt for after the first of 2011, so check back on her website as soon as the champagne buzz abates. We then had the always scrumptious Helena Grenot, who this tme sang "Ghost of a Chance" - her show Damned if I Know will return to Don't Tell Mama on October 22, 29th and November 6th. Next, David Rigano sang "Spreading Light" from his show Facing East (music by Rigano, lyrics by Mark Eugene Garcia) - you can find the Facebook Page for the show here.

Maureen Taylor next graced the stage, singing the heartfelt "Loose Ends" from the musical version of Witches of Eastwick. Then Marquee Five (with Adam West Hemming arrangements) sang two songs from their upcoming show 8-Track Throwback, "Will You Still Love Me" by Carol King - solo'd by Julie Reyburn - and a mashup of "Hallelujah" and "Bird on a Wire" by Leonard Cohen. 8-Track Throwback will perform five nights at Don't Tell Mama in Sept (16th, 23rd and 25th) and October (2nd and 16th) and will feature Mark Janas at the piano, Matt Scharfglass on bass and guistarists John Benthal (9/16 & 10/16) and Tony Romano (9/23, 9/25 & 10/2). And speaking of Julie Reyburn, HER show Summer Nights returns to perform one night only - September 30th - at the Laurie Beechman Theater. You have to hear her tribute to Marquee Five, if she sings it in this set!

To end the first half, the always adorable Erin Cronican sang a song practically written for her, "Vanilla Ice Cream" from She Loves Me, hitting that high B with ease. Erin will be starring in the brand new musical Nab-A-Date in 2011 and has three (count 'em THREE) films touring the festival circuit in late 2010, so keep an eye out for her on the big screen and stage soon. After Erin, we had a sensitive and powerful rendition of "Insensitive" from Danielle Erin Rhodes - this Sunday (August 22nd), at 3pm Dani will take part in a new play reading series Words and Wine at Joria Mainstage on 36th street, as a part of F.A.C.T. (Friends Always Creating Theatre), and will also be doing a reading on November 6th of Dan Forman's new musical RIP (about Rip Van Winkle).

After a solid break, we returned to hear and see (without any regrets) the wonderful Sidney Myer, MAC and Bistro Award-winner and bookings manager at Don't Tell Mama. Sidney sang three songs for us - "It's So Nice to Have a Man Around the House," "When I See the World in Your Eyes" and the high-spirited "Good Advice." The brilliant Tracy Stark was at the piano, providing Sidney with wonderful accompaniment. Sidney charmed us with his ease, energy and humor with each song!

For Mark Janas' Classical Corner, he concentrating on the concept of falling 2nds and 5ths, those musical clues composers include in their arrangements to signify loss and disappointment. He played a few Chopin Preludes, demonstrating what inherently "rings" disappointment to the human ear (and actually, what rings negative to the natural world in general!). (Side note: one of the Preludes he played segued quite naturally into a Barry Manilow song, demonstrating that classical and pop music are close cousins in tone and structure). Mark talked about the "Golden Mean," or the Golden Ratio: that natural structure found in math, architecture, painting, and even office paper that, in music, is built into the sounds we hear, and how we all have an understanding and emotional reaction when that structure is augmented or transformed. Quite heady stuff, but it was fascinating!

Tanya Moberly, whose show Theatre Songs will return on September 30th to Don't Tell Mama at 9pm with Mark Janas on piano and Ritt Henn on bass, sang "It Never Entered My Mind." Then, Stephen Wilde (accompanying himself on guitar) sang "Reckoner," a song by alternative English band Radiohead. Then, Ann Dawson brought her spritely self up to sing the ballad "People That You Never Get to Love" by Rupert Holmes. Richard Eisenberg sang one of his serious tomes "They Don't Make Them Like That, Anymore," although with Bistro Awarded Eisenberg in existence it's hard to justify that...he wrote that song for The Salon's Richard Rogers birthday celebration. After Richard, Joan Jaffe sang the scandalous-themed "On the Streets of Paree." Joan will be celebrating her CD "Joan Jaffe Sings Funn" release at the Any Wednesday Series at Barnes and Noble (66th street & B'way near Lincoln Center) on October 20th, 6pm - the event is free and you will be able to hear a set of her work in person.

Steve "The Whistler" Herbst then sang "I Wish I Could Forget You" from the Sondheim musical Passion. And Metrostar Talent Challenge "Top 5" Finalist Janice Hall sang a hilariously arranged song "Un Peu Cochon" with the translational humor of Mark Janas himself. The five finalists sang on August 23rd for the Finals First Round, and you can catch them again at the Metropolitan Room on August 30th for the Finals Second Round! After Janice, we had our third debut performer of the evening, Carolann Sanita, who sang an empowering Jonathan R. Gralt ballad entitled "Quiet."

We then had a series of singer-songwriters-who-can-play-piano sit behind the keys. First, to celebrate the birthday of Dorothy Parker - she was born August 22nd 1893 - Bill Zeffiro sang his original tune "Happy Birthday, Mrs. Parker," and I'm sure Parker herself would have said something witty and regretful had she been in attendance. Bill has several upcoming performances, including shows at The Borcalino Room at Flute the last Thursday of each month, and this Friday at Urban Stages he will perform in the show Close Harmony, a never before heard play by Dorothy Parker and Elmer Rice (Facebook event here and the Dorothy Parker Society has more details). We next had Ellen Bullinger on piano to sing her own composition "That's What I Wish You Had Said" with beautiful rock belt vocals. Then Marc Ostrow fiddled with the ivories on an original piece "If I Should Die Tonight."

For the final stretch of the evening - which was packed and allowed no encores - we welcomed Jeffrey Lyle Segal to sing "My Baby Used to Be a Man" and touted his original musical revue Mating The Musical. Next, Liz Ulmer sang "How Did I End Up Here?" from the musical Romance/Romance. We then had the star herself, Sarah Rice, sing a beautiful mashup of "Dreamer" and "Lazy Afternoon," a sad/sexy ballad that had the audience applauding breathlessly. Then, Sierra Rein sang "What a Movie" from Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti in preparation for a next-day audition (update: yes, a callback!). And then Danielle Grabianowski closed the evening with the oh-so-appropriately regretful so-long song "Every Time We Say Goodbye."

NEXT SALON!

The next Salon will take place this Sunday, August 29th from 7:00 to 10:30 pm - the optional theme for the evening will be "World Cruise". Co-host will be Adam Shapiro and special guest will be Karen Oberlin. So dust off your straw hats, your trunks (both swimming and packing) and bring your songs about travel, the world, different countries, boats, or TomKat...it all is welcome!

THERE WILL BE NO SALON SEPTEMBER 5TH OR SEPTEMBER 12TH - Salon will resume Sunday, September 19th!



-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly: "World Cruise"



SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, August 29th from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “World Cruise”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be Beloved Salon Regular, Adam Shapiro! Adam has just returned from a year on the high seas – hence the theme. Adam's 'Journey to Actually Co-Hosting Salon' is a legendary tale that should not be missed. For more information on Adam's latest: www.adamshapiro.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Fabulous MAC & Bistro Award winning Karen Oberlin! Karen will be appearing at The Cabaret Convention on October 9th at Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 33 West 60th St, NYC 10019, 212-258-9800 and at The Ritz Supper Club in Fairfield CT, 800-529-8497, on Saturday, October 30th - dinner at 7pm/show at 9pm. For more information: www.karenoberlin.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Janice Hall and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Arianna at 6:15pm.

THERE WILL BE NO SALON SEPTEMBER 5TH OR SEPTEMBER 12TH.

We return to Etcetera, Etcetera on September 19th! – Theme and Co-Host TBA.

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page for continual updates. Thank you, Blogettes & Techettes – Sierra Rein and Erin Cronican!

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Update from Tanya Moberly - "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”

SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, August 22nd from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be Delightful MAC & Bistro Award winning Danielle Grabianowski! Danielle will be returning to The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010, 212-206-0440, on October 28th, November 3rd & November 18th. For more information: www.daniellegrabianowski.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Sensational, Multiple MAC, Bistro and Golden Pineapple Award winning Cabaret Icon, Sidney Myer! Sidney is not only an extraordinary performer, he also sits on the Board of Directors for MAC and has been the booking manager at Don't Tell Mama for the last 18 years.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Dani Rhodes at 6:15pm.

August 29th: “World Cruise”
Co-Host: Adam Shapiro
Special Guest: Karen Oberlin

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page, thanks to our Blogettes – Sierra Rein and Erin Cronican!

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for August 8, 2010- "Dream a Little Dream"

Erin Cronican here! Sierra Rein is off celebrating her 5 year wedding anniversary with her main squeeze, Pete, so I am filling you in on the great time that was had last Sunday.

It was an inspiring night at The Salon as we trilled our way through nearly 40 tunes with the theme “Dream a Little Dream- Dreams, Goals & Aspirations.”

Our Co-Host was Ricky Ritzel, one of Cabaret's Finest Ancestors, 13-time MAC Award Winner and Former President of MAC. As Sierra wrote in the last blog, Ricky is best known for inventing the 2-drink minimum (google 'last supper'), and is also half of the duo “The Loungeoleers.” Ricky started the evening by accompanying himself on the piano, singing “I’ve Got a Crush On You,” after which, he and host Mark Janas played a fun little piano duet. Ricky then handed it over to Salon attendees- first to Ronnie Giles, which crooned “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Louisa Poster was next with a light and fluffy, “Dipsy Doodle.” Soon after, Susan Hodgson gave us her rendition of “The Light in the Piazza” from the musical of the same name. Next was the ever clever Richie Eisenberg, who sang “Never Too Late” followed by Kristin Maloney with the wistful and gorgeous ballad, “Sweet Dreams.” You can see Kristin in the upcoming NYMF show, “The Great Unknown.”

Mark Levy rocked the house next with his tongue twister, “The Nightmare Song” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe.” Next was Sunny Leigh with “I Have Dreamed” from “The King and I,” followed by Kevin McMullan with “My City.” Bobbie Horowitz next gave us a touching rendition of “Teenage Dreams” and Gini Dustin wowed us with her original, lovely tune, “Lonely City Nights.” Then we had Bill Zeffiro entertain us with his multi-cultural uptune, “La Comedia E Finita” followed by Steve Schachlin’s haunting melody, “Holy Dirt,” from his show “New World Waking” a song cycle about peace. Next, Edie Stokes sang the warm ballad, “Two For The Road” and Mark Watson charmed us with “Pictures of You.”

It’s always wonderful to see Salon members working together on ensemble pieces, and producer Tanya Moberly and Salon Co-Founder Kristin Maloney gave a hilariously acted and sung rendition of “Dog Dreams.” Etc Etc super server, David Ballard, came to the stage next with “Purpose” from “Avenue Q” and Alison Nusbaum cracked us up as she comically boozed her way through a torch song. After that, Etceterette/Blogette Erin Cronican (yours truly) came to the stage with a dream of different sorts, going through the motions of auditioning with “Climbing Uphill” from “The Last Five Years.” Erin can next be seen in “Nab-A-Date” a musical with a possible Off-Broadway run in 2011. Next, with Ricky Ritzel on keys, The Salon was formally introduced to Madame with co-star Rick Skye, who sang “The Oldest Living Showgirl in Vegas.” Madame has a Feinstein’s gig on August 19 (for adults only- she can get racy!) And the first act was closed by Etceterette Marnie Klar, with a touching rendition of Stephen Schwartz’s “Liontamer.”

Act II of the Salon was kicked off by none other than the Magnificent Multiple Mac & Bistro Award winning Marcus Simeone, our Special Guest of the evening. Marcus started with “Too Many Rivers to Cross”, and then gave us a poignant song about gay marriage and its acceptance globally -- but not domestically. Marcus ended the 3 song set with an amazingly moving “When Angels Cry.” Marcus can next be seen performing in “Calling All Angels II”- two extraordinary evenings of exceptional talent to benefit The Gregory Kennell Fund: Fridays, August 13 & 20 at 7:00 at the Metropolitan Room.

Following Marcus was Classical Corner, with our very own Mark Janas. This week, Mark exposed us to the delightful music of Chopin (who was born 200 years ago this March.) Mark introduced us to Chopin’s four Ballades by breaking down the themes and teaching us about the nuances of the writing. He concluded the segment by opening the grand piano so we could fully experience the sound of these solo piano compositions. It was truly magical, and Classical Corner continues to be a unique and valuable part of The Salon.

Next up was producer Tanya Moberly, who sang a heart-wrenching medley of “Some Lucky Girls” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Not a dry eye in the house, even from Tanya! Following Tanya was the ever charming Joey Infante, who soothed us with his ballad medley, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.” After accompanying Joey on piano, Mike McDonald stayed at the keys and performed, “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” Matthew Ward was next, making us remember our childhoods with a lovely, “Rainbow Connection.” To satisfy the musical theater crowd, Salon regulars Mark Watson and Sunny Leigh performed their version of “The Music Man” hit “Till There Was You.” To bring the energy back up from all of the ballads, Joan Jaffe brought the funny with her song, “There’s a Broken Heart for Every Light on Broadway.” And no Joan Jaffe performance would be complete without a little dancing- in this performance she showed off her soft shoe (wow- say that 5 times fast!)

Next up was Marc Ostrow, who introduced us to one of his original tunes, “I Often Wonder if She Ever Thinks of Me.”After Marc came Jordan Siwek, a young singer/songwriter who brought in his new tune, “Shall I Compare You?” Jordan made lots of connections after this honest performance, something that we at The Salon are very proud of. We love to hear when professional connections are made through our event! Following Jordan was Keni Fine, who did a parody song called “I’ve Thrown a Custard in Her Face” as well as "Henry the Eight Foot Man" to a tune oddly like that of “I’m Henry the VIII, I am” from the Herman’s Hermits. Next we had the sultry tones of Ellen Bullinger, who warmed the crowd with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables.” Ricky was then able to coax up jazz great Daryl Sherman, who accompanied herself with a medley of “Let’s Fly Away” and “Come Fly With Me.” And Ricky Ritzel finished off this week’s Salon with one more playful tune before closing out the evening and bidding all of us sweet dreams.

Next week we will NOT be hosting The Salon due to a special event being held at our venue. But please do join us August 22, where our co-host will be none other than Danielle Grabianowski with the theme “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret” and our Special Guest will be Sidney Myer. And Sierra Rein, The Salon’s regular Blogette, will be back at the keys.

-Erin Cronican
Co-Blogette for The Salon

Friday, August 6, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for August 1, 2010: "It's Mathematical - Numbers about Numbers"

1 + 1 = :):):):)

It was a lively and jocular evening on the 1st of August at The Salon! The theme was "It's Mathematical - Numbers About Numbers ," and for the guest co-host we put one and one together to make comedy music/improv/standup duo Booth & Pat! The guest performer was the fabulous Jim Brochu, who added a lot of talent to the stage! (Let's see how many math jokes I can make before I annoy even myself).

Co-Hosts Booth and Pat ("the environmentally conscious BP") are the sum product of high energy, humor, two mics and a guitar. They take well-known songs and put them on their ears, or create medleys of familiar tunes and play with them. In addition to their singing talents, they were also able to provide self-effacing humor and keep the hosting ball in the air between singers. Booth & Pat first did a great medley of songs that provide the same chord progression throughout (apparently "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a cousin of "Let It Be." They then went into a tongue-twisting, fast-paced version of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies (there are a lot of numbers in that song!).

We then switched gears to have Mark Levy sing a classic rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening," with Mark Janas resuming his place at the piano. Ronnie Giles - a newcomer to The Salon and guest of David Rigano - came up to sing "They Can't Take that Away From Me," and did a little dance as well on stage. Ronnie will be seen as a drunken executive in the upcoming Hollywood film "Wall Street 2," and will be traveling to Warsaw, Poland to complete footage of the film "Finding Joseph." We then welcomed back Tony Imgrund, who sang "10,432 Sheep," a Jule Styne song made recently popular by Audra McDonald.

Michael Colby then sang "Tarts" from his show Happy Haunting (lyrics by Michael, composed by Gerald Jay Markoe). After Michael, Roberta Feldhusen (with her husband Roy at the piano) sang "Simple Little Things" from 110 in the Shade. Matthew Ward then stood to perform a Malty/Shire piece, "You Go To My Head." We then had composer David Rigano bring up an oldie from his composing past, "The Math", a delightfully sweet and funny song from his show Orchard Park. David will be directing a short play - The Secret Plays in the Work(s) In Progress Festival, and is having his show Facing East in workshop at the D Lounge on September 21st as a Trevor Project benefit.

I think Richie Eisenberg was waiting and waiting and waiting in anticipation for the theme of this evening, for he was practically beaming while he sang his song "Two Again." Steve Schalchlin stepped up to the piano to sing "The Edison Diner," lyrics by Amy Lyn Shapiro. Then Kevin McMullan (with Matthew Ward at piano) performed the unique "The Thousand Island Song." Kevin will have his new show, "Two Old Souls and A Band of Gypsies" at the Laurie Beechman in October and November of this year! After Kevin, our Producer Tanya Moberly sang "The Music That Makes Me Dance," which has a gorgeously appropriate "numbers" verse intro. Her show, "Theater Songs," will take place on September 30th at Don't Tell Mama - mark it down, people!

Next, we had a humorous rendition of the 2nd Barenaked Ladies song of the evening, "If I Had a Million Dollars." Our favorite singing waiter, David Ballard, sang "Tonight at Eight," and then Marcie Chasen (also in the Metrostar Competition!) sang "Making Love Alone." Sierra Rein (who couldn't come up with a viable numbers song that evening...sorry) sang "By Strauss," a favorite Gershwin number. We then had Maureen Taylor (who would rather measure by quality, she says) sing "Still" from Titanic. Finally, Jan Brennan sang "Unusual Way" from Nine. Jan is in the midst of the Metrostar Challenge at the Metropolitan Room!

What do you get when you add presence, grace, power, emotion, humor and a big voice? You get Jim Brochu, our special guest performer of the evening. Jim, who has been known for The Big Voice: God or Merman? and most recently the Dramadesk Award-winning show Zero Hour, is now proud to say his hometown is New York, after Zero Hour extended its original 7-week run into 10 months (and counting!). And, although he couldn't give us *quite* exactly what and where his next show will be, it will be announced soon! Check his website jimbrochu.com!

Jim started out with the joyous "On a Wonderful Day Like Today" from The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd, then "Who Can I Turn To?" by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. He then did a duet, "Living in the Closet" from The Big Voice as his partner, Steve Schalchlin sang and played the piano. Then, on Mark Janas' request, Jim and Steve sang the poignant and powerfully emotional "How Do You Fall Back in Love?" Jim was also lovely to recall how he once held Ethel Merman's ashes in his arms (while visiting a relative of her's), and how a young man approached him after a show in San Diego five years ago - that man was noneother than David Ballard, our favorite singer-waiter!

The Classical Corner with Mark Janas concentrated on the different mathematical levels of counting. He began with Beethoven's Opus 132 in A minor (which Mark wrote his Master's thesis on!), and showed how the location of the downbeat changed the feel of each movement. He then went into Beethoven's 7th Symphony Scherzo, and asked Booth to count a straight 4-count while Mark yelled out the strong notes. It was mind-boggling to listen to!

We next had Tanya Moberly, who performed "Ten Cents a Dance." Next, our sound man Boris Pelekh - along with his guitar - performed his original song "Something's Coming", which is a staple in his 5-piece rock band Hey Guy (which also features our regular sound man Tommy Shull. Patrick Cook, who is a teacher at BMI, then came to the piano to play and sing his hilarious song "Thank You, Jacques Brel." Whitney Chapman sang "Cat's in the Cradle," Tony Imgrand sang "Go the Distance" from Disney's Hercules, and Mark Levy sang "Once Upon a Time."

Richie Eisenberg then sang another "Two"-themed piece of his own composition, this time a somber song entitled "Table Set for Two." Jan Brennan brought the lovely "Moonfall" from The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Steve Schalchlin brought in the ever-sweet "When I Rescued You, You Rescued Me" from Broadway Barks. Matthew Ward brought in the theme-worthy singalong "Inchworm," and David Rigano sang the mildly insane and random humor song "When It's Nighttime in Italy" (David is a collector of old music with completely odd lyrics!). After David, the always lovely Maureen Taylor sang "When I Am Here Alone" from The Little Women, and Ronnie Giles performed "Learnin' the Blues" by Dolores "Vicki" Silvers. Sierra Rein (with the help of her iPhone) performed "I Hate Men" (which is an entire lie in her book, by the way), and then Booth and Pat closed the evening with "Gibberish Medley," a hilarious collection of songs with themes like "Mmmm-bop" and The Muppet's "Manamanah."


TOMORROW!!! Sunday, August 8th, SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Dream a Little Dream – Dreams, Goals & Aspirations”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon.

Our Co-Host will be one of Cabaret's Finest Ancestors, 13-time MAC Award Winner and Former President of MAC - Ricky Ritzel! Ricky is best known for inventing the 2-drink minimum (google 'last supper'), and is also half of the duo “The Loungeoleers”. For more information: www.rickyritzel.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Magnificent Multiple Mac & Bistro Award winning Marcus Simeone. Marcus will be appearing in CALLING ALL ANGELS II – a Benefit for Gregory Kennell on August 13th & 20th at 7pm at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010, 212-206-0440. For more information: www.marcussimeone.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Marnie Klar and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141). There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Liz Ulmer at 6:15pm. Erin Cronican will be our Blogette for the evening!

MORE UPCOMING SALON DATES, THEMES, and GUESTS:

August 15th: NO SALON

August 22nd: “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”
Co-Host: Danielle Grabianowski
Special Guest: Sidney Myer

August 29th: “World Cruise”
Co-Host: Adam Shapiro
Special Guest: Karen Oberlin

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page.

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.